Celebrating Motherhood: Fresh Origins’ Edible Spring Flowers!

 

Mother’s Day is upon us and that can only mean one thing, our selection of Edible Flowers, including Herb Blossoms, Vegetable Blossoms, and MicroFlowers are blooming brightly! We are offering a large variety this season including, Basil Blossoms, Buzz Buttons, Nasturtium Flowers, Cilantro Blossoms, Marigold Flowers, Jasmine Flowers, Cosmos Flowers, MicroFlowers™ Orchid, the list goes on!

Need Ideas for Mother’s Day? Brighten up her special day with Edible Flowers!

If you’re at that point where you are stuck wondering what to do for Mother’s Day and you’ve already taken the traditional route  —  the thank-you card and bouquet of flowers combination  —  do something different this time! Create a gorgeous Mother’s Day meal by adding our Edible Flowers to your appetizers, entrees, soups, salads, desserts and cocktails.

Be sure to notice what each different flower has to offer. Whether you’re adding a hint of citrus with Buzz Buttons over a sorbet or looking to top off an entree with the peppery, spiciness of Nasturtium Flowers, show mom how much you love and appreciate her with your creative side. Have fun with it!

Below are descriptions of our most popular flowers, how they generally taste, how you could possibly use them, plus recipes with Edible Flowers as ingredients!

Basil Blossoms

Basil is everyone’s favorite herb flower and hopefully your mom’s favorite too. This dazzling purple blossom has even more concentrated flavor and aroma than the leaf. Usually, people will smell the sweet aroma & see its stunning appearance right before they enjoy the fresh taste, engaging all their senses. Very versatile, it can be used whole or shredded.

Here are some ideas on how you could use them:

• Add to Pesto sauce
• Make an heirloom Tomato-Basil & Mozzarella Salad
• Mix in a Fruit Salad
• Top Bruscetta & Pasta
• Decorate appetizer platters

 

Recipes:

Lemon Basil Sorbet

Yield: 1 quart

• 4 Basil Blossoms, flowers taken off stems
• 2 1/2 cups water
• ½ cup cointreau
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon zest
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp orange juice

In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, cointreau and orange juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Add the basil and set aside to steep for 3 minutes. Strain syrup through a fine chinois and set aside to cool. Transfer to the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled, then process in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s directions.

Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

Yields: 4 cups

• 4 Basil Blossoms, flowers taken off stems
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 sm can tomato paste
• 20 Ripe Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 tbsp Pinch sugar
• ½ cup Parmesan shredded
• 1 Yellow Onion, diced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp dried crushed red pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock
• salt, pepper TT

Coat a saucepot with oil and warm over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, chicken stock, and wine; season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Turn the heat up slightly to medium and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the basil and cheese.

Basil Fruit Blast Cocktail

Yield: 1 drink

• 4 Fresh Origins Basil Blossoms
• 1 ½ oz Vodka
• ½ oz Chambord
• ½ oz Peach Schnapps
• ½ Peach
• ½ Lemon
• 1 ½ oz Orange Juice

Cut peach into small pieces and add to a shaker. Take 2 Fresh Origins Basil Blossoms, torn into pieces and squeezed lemon, and add to shaker and muddle. Add Vodka, Chambord, Peach Schnapps, and Orange Juice. Shake vigorously; pour into ice filled Collins glass. Garnish with 2 Basil Blossoms, and peach slices.

 

Nasturtium Flowers

These stunning orange, yellow, and red flowers boast a sweet & tangy, yet peppery and spicy flavor. Here are some ideas on how you could use them:

• Add to mixed green salads
• Mince & mix in with risotto
• Put inside a Vietnamese spring roll
• Mince & mix in potato salad
• Top desserts

 

Recipes:

 

Salmon & Cheese Stuffed Nasturtiums

Servings: 10

• 10 Nasturtium Flowers
• 1-8 oz package of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• Smoked Salmon, shredded
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Fresh Dill, minced
• 1 tsp Paprika
• salt, pepper TT

In a bowl, combine cream cheese, salmon, dill, and lemon juice. Mix and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Mix in capers. Place about half a tsp cream cheese mixture (more or less, depending on the size of the flowers) inside the throat of each nasturtium flower. Fold each petal over the cheese and press together.

 

Potato-Nasturtium Salad

Servings: 8

• 30 Nasturtium Flowers, chopped
• 1 pound small fingerling potatoes
• ¼ cup Butter, melted
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Mustard Dijon
• 1 tsp fresh chopped tarragon
• 1 tsp fresh chopped parsley
• ½ cup Mayonnaise
• 5 whole Green Onions, Sliced thinly
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 4 whole Hard Boiled Eggs, chopped
• salt, pepper TT

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Toss the potatoes with melted butter and tarragon; put on a baking sheet. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender. Chop in quarters. Mash half of the potatoes gently. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and paprika. Refrigerate until cold.

Toss together the cooled potatoes with: parsley, capers, mustard, mayonnaise, eggs, green onions, vinegar, in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chopped nasturtiums and toss to combine.

 

Spicy Nasturtium Vinaigrette

Yields: 1 cup

• ¼ cup Nasturtium Petals, minced
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• ¼ tsp. Mustard Dijon
• salt, pepper TT

Combine and whisk together.

Buzz Buttons™

Stimulate your taste buds with this exciting burst of energy! These yellow, cone shaped flowers produce an electrifying effect on the palette. With a slight citrus flavor, it gives your mouth an exciting tingly feeling with an almost numbing effect. This unique flower stimulates saliva and cleanses the mouth with a refreshing cool feeling. Use sparingly by shredding the flower and sprinkling over food or muddle in cocktails to add electricity!  Here are some ideas on how you could use them:

• Add to Lemon Sorbet
• Shred & sprinkle on chocolate desserts
• Infuse in sauces
• Muddle in cocktails
• Shred & sprinkle on salads

Recipes:

 

Buzz Thriller Cocktail

Servings: 1 drink

• 6 Fresh Origins Buzz Buttons™
• 1oz Citrus Rum
• ½ oz Blue Curacao
• Float of Cachaca
• Sweet and Sour
• Lime
• Cup of Ice

Cut 5 Buzz Buttons™ into pieces, put in a blender. Add Sweet and Sour, Citrus Rum, Blue Curacao, and juice   from half of a lime. Blend mixture then pour into a glass filled with ice. Top with a float of Cachaca.  Serve with 1 Buzz Button™ for garnish, but be sure to caution your customers of their tingly sensation. Since alcohol dehydrates you, the Buzz Button™ is a perfect ingredient because it stimulates salivary glands, keeping your mouth from getting dry and giving you a refreshing hydrated feeling!

Tingly Citrus Vinaigrette

Yields: 2 cups

• 2 Buzz Buttons™
• 2 oz lime juice
• 3 oz orange juice
• 2 oz grapefruit juice
• 2 tablespoons red rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• salt, pepper TT
• 3/4 teaspoon mustard Dijon
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 2 sprigs Fresh Thyme

 Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

 

Citrus Buerre Blanc with a kick!

Yields: ½ cup

• 2 Buzz Buttons™ shredded
• ½ Shallot minced
• 3 oz orange juice
• 2 oz lemon juice
• salt, pepper TT
• 1 pt cold butter, cubed – ½”

In a hot small saucepan, add shallots and juices. Simmer and reduce until au sec (nearly dry, about 1 tbsp of liquid left). Add Buzz Buttons™, salt, & pepper. Take off heat and add a few cubes of butter at a time, whisk quickly and constantly until melted. Careful not to “break” the sauce (separation of fat and liquid). This will happen if it is too hot. The finished sauce should be thick and smooth.

Cilantro Blossoms

Tiny and lovely white flowers on long green stems. Intense Cilantro flavor and fresh aroma. Here are some ideas on how you could use them:

• Decorate Ceviche & salsa
• Make Cilantro Crème Fraiche
• Top guacamole & tacos
• Mix in with rice
• Float on Pho
• Top sushi

 

Recipes:

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

Yields: 1 cup

• 1/2 bunch cilantro flower petals & leaves
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt, pepper TT
• 3/4 teaspoon mustard Dijon
• 3/4 cup olive oil

Blend the lime juice, vinegar, and cilantro together in a blender until smooth. Add the brown sugar, garlic, and salt, pepper; blend again until smooth. Spoon the mustard into the mixture. Turn the blender on and slowly pour the olive oil into the dressing mixture in a thin stream; blend until thoroughly combined.

Cilantro Lime Spicy Grilled Shrimp

Servings: 4

• ¼ cup Cilantro flower petals & leaves (minced)
• salt, pepper TT
• 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 small Jalapeno minced
• 1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1 clove garlic minced
• ¼ cup Lime juice
• Lime wedges, for serving
• Cilantro flowers on stems for garnish

Combine salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, cayenne, lime juice, garlic & jalapeno . Put on shrimp. Add shrimp to a hot grill and cook, until opaque throughout, and caramelized on both sides. 3 to 5 minutes. Serve shrimp with Cilantro Flowers & lime wedges.

Cilantro Spring Soup

Servings: 2

• 1 bunch Cilantro sprigs & blossoms
• 6–7 cup chicken broth
• 2 cup spinach, washed, trimmed and loosely packed
• 3 T butter
• ½ white onion, finely chopped
• 2 serrano chilies, seeded stemmed, diced
• 6 green onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt, pepper TT
• ½ cup Cotija Cheese, for serving
• 2 Lime wedges, for serving
• Cilantro blossoms, for serving
• 2 avocados, sliced, for serving

In a blender, puree the spinach with 2 cups of the chicken broth. Add the cilantro and coarsely blend.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the onions, garlic and serranos. Add the pureed mixture and the remaining chicken broth. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile slice the avocados and drizzle with lime juice. Thin the soup, if necessary, with additional chicken broth, then pour into bowls and garnish each with cheese, avocado slices and a Cilantro Blossoms.

Here is our list of available Edible Flowers this spring season:

Borage Blossoms, Marigolds, Begonias, Snapdragons, Chocolate Bell Flowers, Fava Flowers, Nasturtiums, Lavender Flowers, Buzz Buttons, Cilantro Blossoms, Mustard Blossoms, Cosmos, Jasmine Flowers, Alyssum Flowers, Arugula Blossoms, Chive Blossoms, Bachelor’s Buttons, Firestix™, Calendulas, Fennel Flowers, Fuchsias, Pansies, Violas, Sparklers™, Thyme Blossoms, and all of our MicroFlowers™ varieties.

If we were able to help to you in any way this Mother’s Day, let us know! We love hearing what other Chefs and food fanatics are doing with Edible Flowers. But most importantly, to all the Mothers out there, we’re so grateful to have you and wish you the best Mother’s Day ever!

Chef Kelly Sasuga of Fresh Origins: Competition with a Daring Dish

During last month’s trade show tour, our R&D Chef Kelly Sasuga represented Fresh Origins in one of the toughest, most prestigious culinary competitions in the United States. The American Culinary Federation (ACF) hosted the 2013 Catersource ACF Culinary Challenge, it brought together the nation’s most talented chefs to compete in a variety of cooking, decorating and carving competitions – awarding medals and certifications.

Spoiler alert!

Kelly won her K1-Duck category impressing the judges with her asian style, Miso Glazed Duck Breast, Chinese Hand-pulled Noodle Stir Fry with Veggies, Smoked Duck Egg Roll, Kumquat Chili Gastrique, and Fresh Origins Micro Shiso. She received the ACF-Silver medal accumulating the highest score in her category!

When it came time to cook, the judges and audience watching were really impressed with how Kelly she moved and conducted herself in the kitchen. The judges especially, were astonished to see someone hand-pull noodles during a hot food competition. It was a risky task and the they knew it.

Chef Kelly Makes Practice Perfect with Noodles

Months prior to the competition, Kelly spent hours on hours practicing twice a week at the San Diego Culinary Institute, who sponsors the competition team. On top of that, she was able to commit extra time every day for two months, perfecting the hand-pulled noodle technique at home.

Requiring a certain level of finesse and applied muscle memory, unbraiding hand-pulled noodles is a very old and difficult technique that requires a lot of patience and practice. In the position of having to teach herself, Kelly mimicked videos of other chefs that were experts in executing the chinese art form. She had done her research. She even went to Martin Yan’s restaurant in SF, MY China to watch them make hand pulled noodles, and met the Master Chef himself! He was very friendly and briefly explained to her how the process worked as she watched Executive Chef Tony Wu masterfully pull these wonderful noodles. It’s really an exciting thing to watch.

Along the way, through timed trial and error, she found out what worked for her. She was able exploit the small details needed on her own, things like using the exact ratio of water to flour when creating the consistency of the dough – it needs to be perfect in order to pull noodles from it.

ACF Rules and Culinary Standards

Unlike most competitions where individuals compete against each other, here chefs compete against a strict culinary standard. Each competitor is judged and awarded points not only the taste of their dish but everything they do in the kitchen from: organization, sanitation, creativity, portion size, cooking skills and techniques, how they utilized their time, ingredients, flavors, textures, and presentation. Their allotted time is 15 minutes to setup, 60 minutes to cook, 10 additional minutes for plating and 15 minutes for clean up.

The Final Results

Since her part was over, cooking phases done, kitchen cleaned, and dishes received, the judges gave her an invaluable review. In fact, one of the judges came to shake her hand afterwards, applauded her on the obvious hard work she displayed and praised on her bold decision to use hand-pulled noodles in her dish. A couple of them also offered her a job! The end result was surreal, all Kelly’s feelings of anxiousness and nervousness subsided, she knew that all her hard work had paid off.

Her first time culinary challenge was finally over and with great success, now all she could do was think of what she could do for the next one!

Her next scheduled challenge is the 2013 ACF Culinary Salon Competition at the Le Cordon Bleu in Seattle, Washington on May 4th. We love showing our support to all chefs competing, so if you’re going to be attending or competing in the event, let us know!

Kelly Sasuga Talks up Our Herb & Flower Crystals on TV!

Kelly Sasuga, our research and development Chef, made the news at the Nightclub and Bar Show.  Kelly was interviewed by a new Spanish-language TV show and magazine, Cocktail Aficianado, owned by the well-regarded Cigar Aficianado.

The new venture was seeking the coolest products to feature in its launch. Kelly had the opportunity to talk about the company and our products for cocktails, including mini Herb & Flower Crystals™ glass rimmers, MicroFlowers, Buzz Buttons and our Tiny Veggies.

The show has not aired yet, so stay tuned and we’ll share Kelly’s interview on this blog as soon as the video clip is available.

Fresh Origins March Tours: Connecting with the Crowd

Our 4-week trade show tour through New York, Anaheim, and Las Vegas was a complete success. At each show, we exhibited our new Microgreens and Edible Flowers in our booth, and demonstrated our newest varieties of Herb Crystals™ and Flower Crystals™ with new Fresh Origins recipes. We connected with our new and current customers, and got to be part of the biggest, most entertaining food conventions we’ve ever seen.

“What’s the latest new Fresh Origin product?” our booth visitors asked. This year our Basil, Fennel, Rose, and Mint Herb Crystals™ & Flower Crystals™ took center stage as our featured items. And we had a brand new flavor to show off: Lime crystals. These were a big hit at the Nightclub and Bar Show especially.

Any drink is better with fresh Microgreens & Edible flowers!

The Nightclub and Bar Show, held in Las Vegas, was designed to feel like a popular nightclub: loud music, club lighting, exotic dancers, and ice sculptures with liquor pouring through. Talk about entertaining!

We received great reactions from­ mixologists and bar owners. Many of them had never seen cocktail glasses rimmed with anything like our fresh Herb and Flower Crystals. We caught everyone’s attention with the bright colors of our rimming crystals and drinks garnished with fresh Flowers and Microgreens. 

Kelly Sasuga with our Booth Display

Mixologists are always looking for new cocktail ideas, and ways to reinvent their old ones. Our booth visitors were immediately drawn to the Herb & Flower Crystal’s crunchy texture, their pure, intense flavors and naturally vibrant colors. We enjoyed demonstrating our lime crystals for the first time. These tangy bright green crystals were a hit with bartenders & mixologists — they’re perfect for margaritas!

We brought extra Herb & Flower Crystals to share with other people demonstrating their own products. It was great to see people adding the crystals to their own drink samples – and it gave more people a taste of our bright flavors.

Microgreens and Edible Flowers are a hit with Natural Food Retailers

We brought our fresh Microgreens and Edible Flowers to the Natural Products Show for the first time. The show was the total opposite of the Nightclub and Bar Show, with its emphasis on health and wellness. It was also amazing to see the huge Anaheim Convention Center jam-packed, inside and out – at least 60,000 people attended the expo.

This year, we’re committed to getting our Microgreens, Edible Flowers and Herb and Flower Crystals to the retail customer, so it was great to meet retail distributors and buyers for specialty food stores. People who already knew us were surprised to see us attending this show, and excited to view and sample our new products. We also introduced our new retail organic line of Microgreens and Edible Flowers!

We’re used to mingling with restaurant owners and chefs, so we were excited to speak to a different crowd. Most of the people walking around were very health-conscious. They’re interested in discovering what the latest new healthy foods are, and luckily they found us in the “New Hot Products” area.

Pulmuone USA Booth using our products

We talked with some sponsored athletes – bodybuilders and triathletes – who asked us questions like, “What are the health benefits and the nutritional advantage microgreens have that regular veggies don’t?” Many people, of course, claim that microgreens contain more vitamins and antioxidants than their mature counterparts – but we personally don’t know for sure. What we do know is that microgreens taste terrific and are very healthy.

Each conversation gave us priceless feedback, and we would like to thank everyone who visited our booth. There’s nothing like making new contacts and friendly connections!

 

Fresh Origins Hits the Road: New York, Anaheim & Las Vegas (2X)!

March is finally here! This month, we’ll be attending 4 trade shows, back-to-back. Every event caters to a unique group of food professionals. We’ll be showing our Microgreens, Edible Flowers, Herb & Flower Crystals™ and other specialty items to chefs, restaurant owners, caterers, mixologists, foodservice distributors & retailers.

International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of NY:
Booth: 1456
Microgreens & Edible Flowers on Center Stage

We’re starting off at the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show: http://www.internationalrestaurantny.com/Show-Info/ in New York. This show is exciting and fast-paced, attracting a huge crowd of industry professionals including high-end restaurant chefs and those who supply them.

Every kind of food product and restaurant supply you can imagine will be on display at this show – from tablecloths to point-of-sale systems, from stoves to lighting. The show also features many great cooking demonstrations & sampling, chef competitions, food service education sessions, and other breakout sessions that restaurant people love.

Many of our customers attend this show, and they’re eager to see & taste our new products, such as our signature specialty Herb & Flower Crystals™. We enjoy having the chance to catch up with our friends and customers – and win some new ones too.

Natural Products Expo West:
Booth: 5758
A New Market for our Microgreens

After New York, we’ll be traveling back to the West Coast for Natural Products Expo West: http://www.expowest.com/ew13/public/enter.aspx in Anaheim, California. It’s our first time exhibiting at this trade show, where buyers for retail stores attend to see the latest natural, and health-oriented products.

So why is Fresh Origins going to be there? We’ve seen microgreens for sale in a few retail grocery stores recently – and frankly, the quality is poor. We believe there are two reasons for this: first, we think retail store buyers are unfamiliar with quality standards for microgreens, so they don’t know what to expect – or demand. We have always sold to the nation’s top Chefs who demand great quality. Second, the quality of the microgreens is poor due to growing methods and less than ideal growing climates.

We see Natural Products Expo West as a huge opportunity for us to show retail buyers that we offer the very best, microgreens available, and demonstrate that Fresh Origins microgreens would be a great addition to their produce department.

Catersource:
Booth 2536
Microgreens, Edible Flowers & Herb Crystals™: the perfect finishing touch to Wedding Hors d’ oeuvres

During the second half of March, we’ll be attending not one, but two shows in Las Vegas. We’re old hands at Catersource [http://www.catersource.com/conference-tradeshow/attend], a fantastic show that pulls in at least 7,000 catering professionals from across the country.

Caterers have been especially aware of the benefits of using our Microgreens and Edible Flowers – for them, food has to look as good as it tastes, and taste as good as it looks. Our Microgreens and Edible Flowers are a big draw at Catersource because they are unique and attractive, perfect for special events, especially weddings. Speaking of weddings…our gorgeous Crystallized Flowers are an amazing, all natural addition for cakes & cupcakes.

We also enjoy this show because we see so many of our customers here. It’s very social for us – lively and lots of fun. We also like the fact that we really stand out at Catersource, since we’re offering such unique and beautiful products there.

Nightclub & Bar Convention:
Booth 628
Herb & Flower Crystals™ for Mixologists

Another first-time event for us, the Nightclub & Bar Trade Show http://www.ncbshow.com/why-attend-0 is where we will introduce a new product line: our Mini Herb Crystals™ & Mini Flower Crystals™. This is a finer-grained version of our popular Fennel, Rose, Basil and Mint Crystals that chefs and caterers use as an exciting & versatile ingredient in all kinds of dishes.

We’ve met several mixologists who love the garden-fresh tastes, new textures and beautiful colors they can introduce into their drinks with our new Mini Herb & Flower Crystals™, fresh Edible Flowers and even our fresh Microgreens.

We designed our new Mini Crystals for rimming cocktail glasses. The smaller granules adhere to the glass rim better than our larger Flower and Herb Crystals™, offering mixologists a way to accent drinks with color while injecting a blast of amazing flavor and exciting crunch.

We’ve researched other sugared products out there, and none compare to our crystals, with their naturally pure vibrant colors, our intense flavors and crunchy texture. That’s right – we add nothing artificial to our crystals. All the color and flavor comes directly from the fresh herb or flower.

If you’re planning to be at any of these shows, we’d love to see you! Please stop by our booth, sample some of our Edible Flowers, Microgreens and our Herb and Flower Crystals. Tell us what you think! We want your feedback, and we love kicking ideas around with our Chef & foodie friends.

Recipe: Citrus Ceviche with Flower Crystals™ Fennel

 

Citrus, Seafood & Fennel! A perfect Ménage à Trois. 

Yield: 10 standard portions (10 cups –  1 cup per serving)

Ingredients: 

• Shrimp .5 lb
• Scallops .5 lb
• Red Snapper .25 lb
• Tomatoes, Heirlooms Mixed Colors 3 ea.
• Tomatoes, Cherry 1 package
• Onion Red Large .5 ea.
• Cilantro .5 bunch
• Jalapenos 1 or 2 ea. (depending on how spicy you want it)
• Avocados 1 ea.
• Tangerines 4 ea.
• Lime Juice 16 oz
• Lemon Juice 16 oz
• Orange Juice 8 oz
• White Wine .5 cup
• Tobasco 1 tsp
• Salt, Pepper, Paprika TT

 

Directions:
Chop up seafood, onions, tomatoes, & avocados into small dice. Mince cilantro. Peel tangerines and chop into small dice. Add citrus liquids to a large bin/bowl, add all other ingredients and make sure they are covered in citrus liquid. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Serve cold. Top with 1 tbsp of Fresh Origins Flower Crystals™ Fennel per serving.

The intense fennel flavor pairs great with seafood, while the sweetness is a nice contrast to the sourness of the ceviche. The bright yellow all natural color of these crystals really stands out! 
Recipe by Kelly Sasuga

Edible Flowers to Embellish Your Valentine’s Day Menu!

Valentine’s Day is for lovers – and it’s also for restaurateurs who love seeing their reservations fully booked!

You’ll want to make your diners’ Valentine’s Day meals truly memorable. So why not try something new this year? Garnish your plates with fresh or crystallized edible flowers! Floral additions create great visual appeal, and if you’re really clever, you can help your diners convey a nuanced message of love to their loved ones.

Edible flowers can tell a love story!

Roses are, of course, the classic flower of love. We offer both fresh and crystallized roses at Fresh Origins. They look terrific on chocolate desserts of course, but don’t stop there. You can float roses on gazpacho, dress up drinks, or use rose petals to create a bed for seafood or other classic entrees.

Red roses indicate passionate, romantic love, and the deep red petals are a great contrast to many foods.

Light pink roses convey youthful passion and the joy of life.
Our Crystallized Roses last for 6 months without refrigeration!
Want to convey both love and excitement? Mix red and yellow roses for contrast and another layer of meaning.

Perhaps you’ve already gone the Roses route for Valentine’s Day, and you’re looking for something new and different. Did you know pansies are also a traditional love flower? Pansies appear throughout literature and art as an expression of grace, delicacy and tenderness, as indicated by some of their alternate names: “Jump Up and Kiss Me” or “Pink of my John.”

Beautify salads, fruit plates and cocktails with colorful, Edible Pansies for whimsical and unique floral touch. Available Fresh or Crystallized in blues, yellows, reds, pinks, & purples!

 Crystallized Pansy

Fresh Pansy

Want to be even more innovative for Valentine’s Day 2013? Try accenting your cheese platters & desserts with Snapdragons, symbols of gracious womanhood. Available Fresh or Crystallized.

Or go for bright & colorful amaranth blossoms: our signature Firestix™ or Sparklers™ which symbolize immortal love. These flowers add a blaze of color and incredible height to any plate.  Incredibly long lasting & durable! Bright majenta Sparklers™ really dress up chocolate desserts.

We’re not sure what the meaning of our micro star flowers is, but they sure are a glamorous finishing touch to petite desserts, such as macaroons. Hues of pinks & reds make them to perfect addition for this holiday!

Flower Crystals™ for sweetness, texture & color

Here’s one more idea to liven up your Valentine’s Day plates: Flower Crystals™ Rose. Our signature Herb & Flower Crystals are sweet and powerfully flavored. You can use them to kick up the flavor profile of your desserts and appetizers, while adding an exciting crunch, and a splash of color. Sprinkle them on oysters or other aphrodisiacs like chocolate!

These are just a few ideas for adding visual interest and complex flavor to your Valentine’s Day menu. Have any ideas you’d like to share? Tell us about them in the comments below! If you send us a photo to: Kelly@freshorigins.com, we’ll post your idea on our Facebook page!

Asian style Herbs & Greens

Fresh Origins has a wide variety of Asian style herbs & greens. Great flavor additions for noodles & rice! Float some Petite Thai Basil on Pho to add an intense herb essence. Micro Red & Green Shisos are wonderful when paired with fresh sushi. Seared rare ahi loves to be topped with our Micro Wasabi. Add some Gold Edamame Shoots™ to your stir-fry to add color, crunch and a yummy legume taste. Red Kaiware Shoots™ & Micro Benitade add a stunning color and spicy flavor to Kalbi short ribs or sesame chicken.

What would you do with our Asian products??

Happy New Year! Cheers to healthy eating!

Season your Holiday Meals with Healthy Fresh Herbs!